Big Brother star fears going bald

Big Brother star Imogen Thomas has admitted to suffering from alopecia as a child.

The 29-year-old talked about how her hair had fallen out during an interview with Closer Magazine.

'When I was 10, I developed alopecia and big clumps of my hair fell out,'

'I had a lot of stress – my mum was a single parent and raised me and my sister on her own. My sister used to take over a lot and was very demanding. Then my mum got a new boyfriend who she’s still with now. We had to adapt.’

The reality star was afraid she would ‘go bald’ following the stress of her affair with footballer Ryan Giggs last year.

'The alopecia went on for a few years and, whenever I’m stressed like recently, it starts falling out again. I’m terrified I’ll go bald.'

Alopecia, which has been linked to stress, can affect both men and women and appears as bald patches on the scalp. The hair will often grow back, but those who suffer may always find it flairs up during stressful times. 

Image: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2097675/Imogen-Thomas-reveals-Ryan-Giggs-affair-bald.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

London Fashion Week: Jane Winkworth's French Sole

4weeks till March – Lets release the colour of the rainbow!

Jane Winkworth born in England was the founder of French sole in 1989. The designer’s signature style is ballerina ballet flats. With 2012 London fashion week just around the corner, we had a deeper look into the gorgeous range perfect for spring/summer!

With French Sole you always know what to expect, the key trends to look out for in the world of ballet are filled with coloured crocs, pythons, leopard and the candy store of pumps.  Acid Brights seem like a must, rather than your basic neutral shades. So what does 2012 hold for Jane’s Brand?  Sumptuous textiles, rich earth tones or spring berry shades? Jane will be releasing a limited edition of her ballet flats, as this is the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee! There might be a Design for the London Olympics 2012 to look out for too.

Nearly two decades on from her first designs, Jane the creator and owner was selling her pretty flats to Royal woman last year, with the Duchess of Cambridge ordering new pairs for Kate’s sister and mother who are obviously big fans of Jane too. The shoe-designers other A-list celebrity followers include Madonna, Sarah Jessica parker, and Emma Watson.

Jane’s shoes are available online and are stocked exclusively in Harrods and Topshop with prices starting from £100-£150 the fashion conscious won’t want to be seen in anything else this spring/summer season!

As a lover of shoes I’m definitely Jane’s ideal customer, but I think every woman who appreciates style, comfort, value and attention to detail would love to be seen in a pair. Her shoes have won so many awards and are regarded by all the fashion press, ‘the real deal’ and the only flat worth buying.

I’ve never been able to make up my mind when it comes to shoes, so these shoes will see you through every occasion with style to spare. The ballet beauties are timeless and tick all the boxes, we look forward to the show case at the London fashion week just 3weeks away!

Find Jane:

17-22^nd February – Autumn/winter 2012

2012 London fashion week

East Wing Showrooms/East Wing, Ground Floor

(Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA)

The future for hair loss surgery

Between 2006 and 2008 there has been a 12% rise in the number of surgical hair restoration procedures worldwide. Since 2008 that number has grown hugely, especially since the revelations of Wayne Rooney.

There are always new and innovative hair loss techniques and products on the market, but are these safe and how do they work?

The new chairman of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ASHRS), Dr. Marco Barusco, gives his opinion on some of the latest and upcoming technological advances in this field.

HypoThermosol™ is a saline solution used to preserve the hair once it has been removed from the back of the head. According to Dr. Barusco, once the donor hair is taken from the back of the head the clock starts ticking. "The quicker we re-attach the hair to the scalp the better the chance it will survive", Dr. Barusco said. Traditionally, surgeons have used regular saline solution to preserve the tissue, but HypoThermosol™ has been showing to have a better composition for preservation.

ACell™ is used for wound healing and hair growth. It is rich in growth factors and collagen. This technology significantly benefits the patient but given its high cost very few surgeons use this material. When a doctor uses ACell™ the donor area of the scalp heals better, leaving a smaller and thinner scar, and the transplants grow better.

Although much buzz has been given to robotic hair transplant surgery, Dr. Barusco does not see it as a revolution but rather as another tool. The idea behind the robotic surgery is that a robot harvests hair automatically from the patient's donor area. The doctor and the team still need to perform the rest of the procedure.

Although not yet available, Dr. Barusco believes that the most important technological advance to come is the use of stem cells to "clone" hairs. This is a technology that should be available in the next few years and it is currently on phase II trials. Dr. Barusco believes that this technology will give people who previously weren't candidates for hair transplant because they lacked enough donor hair, the opportunity to have the surgery since less hair needs to be harvested.

Dr. Barusco is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS), a member of the Board of Directors & Examiner of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS), and Chief Section Editor for Hair Restoration of The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery (AJCS).  

Now we know what's under this chef's hat...

TV chef Nigella Lawson was spotted sporting a balding patch on top of her head yesterday as she went out to dinner with her husband.

Unusually the attention wasn’t on her cooking, but the lack of her usual thick brunette locks. As the picture shows, her hair looked straggly and lifeless as she arrived at a London restaurant.

The mother-of-two was dressed in a black fur trim coat with pale and make-up free skin as she arrived at the restaurant. In recent months she has lost 3 stone and slimmed from a size 16 to a 12, but thankfully doesn’t appear to have lost her curves all together. Apparently the chef has been exercising healthily with cardio training with Pilates and yoga.

Stress is said to be a cause of hair loss and this could have attributed to her hair loss after battling with her weight. However it maybe her hair just needs washing and brushing, as the 52-year-old has admitted in the past she doesn’t always brush or comb her hair!

Back ache? Muscle Pain? Injury? How to solve these issues...

For many who suffer with muscular pain, knowing which treatment will be most effective is often confusing with so many different types to choose from.

Here is a quick guide to the most popular treatments to help you decide which would work best for your problem.

Bowen Technique

The Bowen Technique helps the body remember how to heal itself. The Bowen moves send neurological impulses to the brain resulting in immediate responses of muscle relaxation and pain reduction. Electrical impulses sent to the nervous system remind the body to regain normal movement in joints, muscles and tendons. This helps relieve muscle spasms and increase blood and lymph flow.  

The therapist uses thumbs and fingers to make rolling type moves on different muscles on the body. There are times when the therapist actually leaves the room so the body has time to make its own adjustments, which help relieve tension and reduce pain. You should see results within 2-3 treatments.

Sports Massage

This deep-tissue treatment works on the muscles, ligaments and tendons of the body using manipulation, stretching, compressions and friction techniques to remove nodules and tension from the muscle. The treatment can feel quite intense, but the therapist should work to a level that you find comfortable.  You can see results from one treatment depending on the severity of the issue.

Alexandra Technique

This technique corrects established defects of posture, particularly those related to the back when lying, sitting, standing, or walking. According to its deviser, the Australian therapist F.M. Alexander, the technique promotes relaxation and can help eliminate aches, pains, and other disorders associated with muscle tension and poor posture.

You will be taught how to recognise when your body is in a position that is un-natural and may cause postural problems, with verbal instruction and manual guidance the teacher will encourage you to release inappropriate tension during everyday activities.

Oesteopathy

Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with the structure and function of the body and treats the body as a whole holistic system that needs everything functioning smoothly together. Osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. They may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.

Shock bald look for Sex and the City Star

She was made famous for her role as the red head in one of the most successful TV shows that also featured Minolo Blahnik’s, New York City and a lot of sex.

Now Cynthia Nixon has swapped the cosmopolitan cocktail for a razor and has shaved her head completely for her new role.

The 45-year-old is playing a cancer patient and poetry professor Vivian Bearing in the play, which opens on January 26 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Cynthia said: 'I thought it was kind of gonna be no muss-no fuss, but I have to shave it every day!

'It's got kind of a five o'clock shadow, and you don't want to go on with that,' she continued.

'I was always kind of curious to see what it would be like. I like it; I don't think I'm gonna keep it forever.'

The story-line is close to the actress’s heart as she discovered she had the disease in 2006. She had a lumpectomy and radiation - but no chemotherapy - and continues to take the drug Tamoxifen, which blocks the actions of estrogen and is used to treat and prevent some types of breast cancer.

It’s refreshing to see stars like this bare all and still look fabulous; bald is beautiful. 

 

HIS hits Hollywood

With many Hollywood celebrities still wearing toupees or undergoing botched up hair transplants they will be happy to know that there is another option, in the form of scalp pigmentation that has been introduced in the States by hair loss specialists HIS Hair.



 Actor Jeremy Piven's hair transplant scar

HIS Hair launched an LA and New York clinic in late 2011, where they have trained practitioners that perform MHT® scalp pigmentation, which might be a great solution for “Entourage” star, Jeremy Piven who has a large hair transplant scar on the back of his head, and has often been reported of wearing a toupee to cover it up.

MHT®, short for Micro Hair Technique, is a specialist scalp pigmentation treatment that creates a natural looking simulation of micro hairs on the scalp, creating the appearance of a short cropped hair style. MHT® scalp pigmentation procedure, not only disguises early signs of hair loss, camouflages male pattern baldness and receding hair lines, it also provides great coverage for scars on the scalp, many of which occur from hair transplant procedures. Hair transplants involve taking grafts containing hair follicles genetically resistant to balding and transplanting them to the bald scalp. However, the reality of hair replacement systems and hair transplants are far from perfect, despite them being the most publicised options for hair loss. Many people leave clinics with poorly finished treatments and noticeable scarring, which lowers their self esteem even further than before.

Most men are unaware of the risks associated with hair transplants and so believe that any scarring incurred is a permanent disfigurement they will have to live with, but as the pictures below show, that is not the case.

Hair transplant scarring before MHT®...

HIS Hair transplant scarring after MHT®...

HIS Hair already boasts four clinics in the UK, as well as clinics in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

The LA clinic is based in Suites 1 & 3, 10687 Santa Monica Boulevard, California, 90025

and the New York clinic is located on: 10th Floor, 101 5th Avenue, (Between 17th & 18th Streets), NYC, 10003 

Further clinic openings are planned in Chicago, Miami and Seattle in 2012.